JOHOR BAHRU, 2 Oct – Winning their seventh consecutive Malaysian Super League title has put Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) among the elites and a feat hard to emulate by others after the Johor outfit hammered Sabah 4-1 at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri – their new home this season.
The win gave Southern Tigers the title with an unbeaten record although the league was shortened to one round.
JDT finished on top with 26 points from 10 matches with Perak with a game in hand settled in second place with 17 points. Kedah also has a game in hand is third with 16 points.
It was a slow start for the homesters and needed 38 minutes to open scoring despite a dominant performance against Sabah who tried their best to match in every aspect of the game.
The floodgates opened when Afiq Fazail relayed the ball to Diogo Luis Santo for a simple tap past Sabah custodian, Rozaimi Rohim.
Until the goal, Diogo was a frustrated player on the pitch and was even involved in a shoving incident with his marker Mafy Balang.
Local hot-shot, Safawi Rasid got into the scoring act on 58 minutes with an unstoppable left-footer into the Sabah net from just outside the penalty box but the East Malaysian side pulled one back in the 74th-minute through their Thai striker Dennis Buschening.
JDT shrugged off the setback and Safawi got his second on the night from an assist by substitute Ramadhan Saifullah for a 3-1 lead after 81 minutes.
The fourth goal came quickly for JDT when Leandro Velazquez blasted home a freekick.
The Southern Tigers roared and the rest is history on a night when hundreds of JDT fans had the luxury of watching the match via ”In-Car Live Viewing” at the stadium parking area. Only those with car pass were allowed into the stadium compound.
In another match, Petaling Jaya City FC came from behind to beat UiTM 4-2 at the Petaling Jaya Stadium to keep their hopes alive to remain in the Super League.
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